‘NACA, NMEP have Limited Authority over Health Structures’

The Global Fund has said that two of the critical implementers of its programmes in Nigeria have no authority over the state governments and the ministries of health, both of which are critical to the successful utilisation of its grants to Nigeria.

The two Federal Government implementers are the National Agency for the Control of AIDS and the National Malaria Elimination Programme.

They each implement the GF’s grants for HIV and malaria respectively.

The international agency also disclosed that a $20m expenditure for which NACA was unable to provide supporting documentation during a recent audit has been identified.

“Supporting documentation from legitimate contracts with a reputable international procurement agent has now been located after the audit period closed.

“Certified copies of invoices from the suppliers have now been verified, where invoices were previously not available,” a report dated May 3, 2016 and released by the GF said.

The Director-General of NACA, Prof. John Idoko, said consequently, the searchlight is rather directed at the Department of Health Planning, Research and Statistics in the Federal Ministry of Health.

In the release detailing the status of its grants to Nigeria, GF said, “The states have complete administrative and financial autonomy in resource generation and expenditure management.

“This leaves NMEP as a programme under the Federal Ministry of Health with limited authority over state health structures; and NACA and other non-governmental organisations with even less.

“This has resulted in the states and local governments having no accountability for the implementation of Global Fund programmes.”

Three HIV/AIDS grants in Nigeria are managed by three Principal Recipients: The Association for Reproductive and Family Health, NACA and the Society for Family Health.

According to the GF, inadequate controls over the distribution of health commodities for HIV and malaria programmes resulted in stock-outs in 42 health facilities across seven states.

The states are Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Kaduna, Akwa Ibom, Abia and the Federal Capital Territory.

Source: Punch News

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